


Mixed Signals

by LovingGwendolaj



Category: Game of Thrones RPF
Genre: Actor RPF - Freeform, Divorce, F/M, Family Trip, Mixed Signals, Phone Sex, RPF, gwendolaj - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:54:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25381180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovingGwendolaj/pseuds/LovingGwendolaj
Summary: With a divorce agreed upon and imminent, Nikolaj takes the family to Italy thinking it’s their last trip together.  A text and phone call with Gwendoline makes him realize that perhaps not everyone agrees that it’s really over.
Relationships: Gwendoline Christie/Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Comments: 61
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m aware there is some speculation in our little fandom that perhaps a divorce is on the horizon for Nik. While it may be wishful thinking or encouraged by the gossip blogs, who knows what could happen? 
> 
> Please keep in mind while reading this that I mean no disrespect towards Nik‘s wife. It’s purely fiction and I’m trying to write this realistically without being cruel - which is quite difficult but necessary for my own peace of mind. People do crazy things when faced with a life changing situation. I know if Nik was mine I would be doing whatever it takes to hold on to him 😂😂 
> 
> This was initially going to be a one shot, but then I realized there was still another day of stuff in Italy so I decided to make it two or three chapters instead so I don’t potentially miss anything that I need to work in. 
> 
> I would love to hear what people think, not only about the chapter itself but what you’ve seen/interpreted from their time in Italy so far. It might help me with the next chapter to get some insight from those who have been following things.

_ Is everything okay? _

Her text came in at the worst possible time - as they were walking into the event, with cameras flashing and videos being recorded. Nik had felt his phone buzz and he let go of his wife’s hand to try to check it, but forgot it was in the inside pocket of his jacket. Before he had a chance to try again they were being dragged off in another direction, Nukaka was saying something that he wasn’t really paying attention to, and there were, of course, even more cameras. 

Photos, photos and more photos. Speeches here and there. He was a guest of honor of course, so he was expecting it, but all he wanted to do right then was see the message on his phone. He finally got a second to take a peek. The message was from “Joe” - which was code for someone else. He’d changed Gwen’s contact name to Joe a couple years earlier, after a fight about how he was ignoring his family to talk to her all the time. 

Didn’t seem to bother his wife if he was texting with a male buddy though - so Gwen became Joe. It worked well because he could pretend it was work related and save himself from the same old boring argument about how Gwen was more important than anyone else. Maybe it was mostly true. Maybe his wife had seen it long before he had. So many maybes - but he didn’t care about any of that anymore. He hadn’t for a while. Soon he would be free to do whatever he wanted, text whoever he wanted, call whoever he wanted and yes, fuck whoever he wanted. Although there was only one person he had in mind for the latter. 

That person - a very sexy, tall blonde with a quick wit and big heart, who loved to tease him as much as he loved her jabs - had just sent him a text that he couldn’t reply to in the midst of the chaos he was in. He read it quickly and then slipped his phone in his pants pocket where he could grab it more quickly if the opportunity arose.

_ Is everything okay?  _

Those three words in the form of a question were going to drive him insane until he finally got the chance to inquire why she was asking. He scratched his beard, flipped his hair, adjusted his jacket and pants - satisfied his appearance had nothing to do with her inquiry. He plastered on a smile, was perfectly charming, funny even - in what he’d been told was a weird Danish sort of way. Apparently Danes were a breed of their own, but a breed he would always be proud to be a part of. 

When the demands for his attention finally started to die down Nik took his phone out and turned his back to his family, pretending to take a photo of something. If they saw him tapping his screen they might assume he was posting it on Instagram, and it would be a completely plausible excuse if he was asked about it later, that he must have messed up and it just didn’t post. 

_ What do you mean?  _ He texted back.  _ Can’t really talk right now but I’ll reply when I can.  _

He slipped his phone back in his pocket just as an employee came along to show them to their balcony seats. They just sat down when he felt the vibration and knew Gwen had replied. 

“I think I’m just going to run to the bathroom quickly before it gets started,” he said to his wife in Danish. She smiled and nodded and Nik took off. Someone showed him to a private restroom and as soon as the door was closed and locked he checked the text. 

_ That dress isn’t really her style at all. Something just seems off to me.  _

Instead of texting back Nik dialed her. “I don’t have long but please explain,” he said, the second Gwen picked up. 

“Nice to talk to you too,” she muttered.

“Gwen, seriously, this thing is about to start and I’m calling you from a bathroom, so just tell me what’s on your mind,” he hissed urgently. 

“Okay, okay. I just don’t see how you haven’t noticed that your wife is wearing a sexy black dress that doesn’t really fit her usual style, or the feel of the event you’re attending, or the role she is supposed to be playing,” Gwen replied, leaving him with more questions than he’d had when he started. “Have plans changed?”

“What? No,” he insisted. “Why would you think that?” Sometimes he felt really dumb when he talked to Gwen because she was so good at reading people and their emotions - something he was quite terrible at. 

“You don’t see it at all?” She asked. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he sighed. 

She hesitated for a moment. “Maybe you should talk to your wife and make sure you are both on the same page.” 

“Gwen, fuck, I don’t have time for beating on the bush, or whatever that saying is - just tell me exactly what you’re implying,” he demanded. 

She sighed. “Fine. I suspect while you think you’re on one last family vacation before you tell your daughters that you’re getting divorced - she might see it more as one last chance to win you back in romantic Italy.” 

“No,” he muttered. “No,” he said again, shaking his head. “She knows it’s over. She knows this is it,” he mumbled. Little moments kept popping into his mind as he tried to deny it. All the hand holding - Nukaka had been grabbing at him every chance she got. He assumed it was just for the cameras, but when he thought about it - she’d been doing it even when there were no cameras around. Then there was how she kept making a point of changing in front of him. Stripping off her clothes to go take a shower, coming out of the bathroom nude to get dressed - and talking to him while she was naked so he would have to look at her. She walked in and brushed her teeth while he was showering too. 

Most of these things were normal, second nature even, less than a year ago. But things had changed. They had drawn lines, not explicitly spoken ground rules or anything, just changes in habits that seemed to make sense given the fact their marriage was soon to be over. There was no sex, no kissing, much less touching of any manner. They didn’t talk about much of anything but the girls. 

Nik knew they would coparent well no matter what happened between them. They had both been in agreement to wait until after this family trip to tell Safina and Filippa the news. With the pandemic restricting their travel for so long they had all been looking forward to going somewhere, anywhere. So when he found out he was getting the award he immediately invited the whole family. He thought of it as a last hurrah as a family and he’d been so certain Nukaka was on the same page. 

“Nik,” Gwen said softly. “You can deal with this however you want - say something to her, or don’t - just ignore it if that’s what you need, but I’m telling you - my gut instinct is that she’s trying to make you see what you’ll be missing in hopes there’s still a chance.”

“Well there’s not,” he said matter of factly. “You believe me, don’t you?” 

“Of course I do. I trust you - I always have or I never would have waited this long.” He could hear the smile in her voice and he wished he could see her beautiful face. He longed to hold her and kiss her and finally - 

Someone trying the door handle distracted his thoughts. “Shit, I have to go,” he whispered. 

“One last thing, before you do,” she said quickly. “Please don’t shave that beard until I have the chance to run my fingers through it.” Nik felt his body tingle at the thought of her touching him like that. “Maybe feel it between my thighs.” That thought went straight to his groin. It wasn’t the first time she’d said naughty things to him on the phone. They’d had some pretty erotic phone sex the past few weeks - ever since he’d made officials plans to get a divorce things had reached new levels between them and he couldn’t wait to see her someday soon and crank it up even higher. 

He wanted to say something sexy back to her, but he couldn’t risk hearing her say anything else that might lead to a situation in his pants. “I’ll keep it just for you,” was the best he could do. He at least said it in a sultry tone. “I really have to go. Bye Wench.” 

“Bye Princess,” she teased back before he hung up with a smile. She started calling him Princess after a day on set where he’d been perhaps a bit too demanding. She said he was being a complete diva. A few days later he realized she was right and made apologies to the people who deserved them, but he would never lose the nickname from Gwen. Thankfully it had become more of a pet name so she only used it in private. 

Nik hurried back to his seat. “There was a line up,” he lied, as he sat down. To be fair, there were a couple people waiting to use the bathroom when he came out, but he just didn’t want any questions as to why he was gone so long. 

Nukaka glanced over at him and smiled. Then she laid her hand on his thigh and he froze. It wasn’t just a friendly pat - it was intimate. Her hand was high, too high, and he had no idea how to respond. It was becoming clear, very quickly, that Gwen was probably right.

Nik reached down and grabbed her hand and then lifted it to his lips and quickly kissed it. It was the wrong response. He knew as soon as he did it. But he needed to get her hand off of him and he didn’t want to cause a scene or make her feel bad. 

When she leaned over and briefly laid her head on his shoulder he was certain he’d really fucked up. He was panicking inside and could barely focus on the show. All he could think about was how he was going to get in another private call with Gwen because he desperately needed her advice. 

  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My author’s note for this chapter is short and simple: 
> 
> I really hope this doesn’t suck 😂😂 
> 
> (Also, I’m unsure if phone sex requires an E rating or if I should leave it an M. I still don’t know the difference 😬 Whoops, spoiler alert 😂)

Unfortunately it wasn’t until after everyone had gone to bed that he was finally able to give Gwen a call, which meant he had to endure those little flirty moments from his wife for the rest of the evening - which included, what he was pretty sure was an invitation into her bed, that he chose to completely ignore and run off to have a shower instead. The girls had their own room across the hall, and for all he knew they may have still been wide awake, but when he stepped out onto his private balcony overlooking the water Nukaka was fast asleep in her bed - alone. 

It was late, well after 1am, but it was an hour earlier in London, so he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be waking his sexy Nightowl. “Hey you,” she sighed happily into the phone when she answered. 

Nik let out his own sigh of relief. Just hearing her voice was already making him feel better. “It is so good to hear your voice,” he said softly. 

“Are you alright?” she asked, sounding concerned. The fact she hadn’t gone straight to teasing told him she was actually really, genuinely worried about him. 

“I fucked up earlier and made everything worse,” he moaned. “And since you pointed it out - I see it now. I see every little thing now and I feel like I’m jumpy and jittery,” he admitted. 

“Okay, calm down,” she said soothingly. “And tell me what you did.” 

He took a deep breath and then told her the story about the leg touching and how he’d kissed Nukaka’s hand. “It was so stupid. I knew it as soon as I did it, but I couldn’t take it back. And at the same time - it’s ridiculous that I’m getting this worked up over a little peck on the back of her hand.” 

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything,” she replied. “You were doing just fine when you were oblivious, and now I’ve caused you all this stress.” 

Nik was already shaking his head. “No, you did the right thing. I fear it’s only going to get worse, but at least if I’m aware of what’s going on I can adjust.” 

“Is it really that bad?” she asked. 

“You have no idea,” he muttered. He told her about all the changing in front of him and walking in while he was showering - He’d prevented that by locking the door since it happened. Plus the hand holding and leaning her head on his shoulder and there were these attempts at longing looks that he kept ignoring. “And I’m almost positive she was suggesting I sleep with her tonight,” he finished. 

“Oh wow,” Gwen breathed. There was a brief pause and then she spoke again. “Listen, the fact is - the two of you are still married. No one, me included, is going to judge you if you fulfil your husbandly duties. I get it. If it makes things easier for you - just do it.” 

Nik had no idea how to take her words at first because they seemed to contradict what she’d said before, but that was until things clicked and he realized where they were coming from. Gwen was feeling guilty that she had made things more stressful for him and she was trying to compensate. But he needed her to know that he’d already made his choice and he wasn’t going back on that decision. Sure, he could fuck his wife and get off, but while it would be just sex to him it would mean more to her and he couldn’t risk that. He didn’t need to get laid that badly. 

“Gwen, it’s over between Nukaka and I. And while I clearly made a small mistake tonight - if I sleep with her that’s not just a little mistake - that’s huge. I wouldn’t do that to her - or to you,” he added softly. 

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “We’ve made our own mistakes over the years too and we can’t change that, but you also can’t fully commit to me until your marriage is officially over, so until then -” 

“Would you stop whatever this is,” he cut her off. “I want to be with you. You know that. And I thought you wanted the same thing?” 

“You know I do,” Gwen whispered. “I just don’t want it to cause you any extra anxiety.” 

“It’s fine,” he said, feeling a bit exasperated. “But I called for your advice so can you put all this other stuff aside and just try to be objective? You’re the only one who can calm me down. I need you.” 

“Yes, yes, of course. We have gone off on a bit of a tangent. Okay, let’s think about this and figure out a plan.” And just like that his rational, intellectual Gwen was back. She was so brilliantly introspective and observant and he needed someone like that in his life. “So I know today was a bit awkward, but you survived. You were able to see for yourself when you did something that might be interpreted as mixed signals and you learned from that. Do you think you can get through the rest of the trip just keeping your guard up and trying not to feed into any of her advances?” 

Nik thought for a moment, but he honestly wasn’t sure he could. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Yes, I did survive today, but tomorrow is going to be just as chaotic with the award presentation and stuff - I just don’t know if I can pull off happy family man with all this other stuff cluttering my mind.” 

“Well, the only other option is that you need to say something to her first thing in the morning. But depending on how she reacts you might be dealing with a big blow up that will be even more stressful than what you’re going through.” Gwen confirmed exactly what he’d been thinking. There was no telling how Nukaka would react if he brought things up. Worst case scenario she might refuse to attend the event and he would have to explain her absence to everyone, including the girls. 

“Just tell me what you would do,” Nik requested. “I trust your opinion.” 

“I would try to ignore it for one more day,” Gwen said confidently. “If you can get through the awards without saying anything you will have a little more privacy to deal with it later.” He felt relief at her suggestion. “Maybe tomorrow won’t be bad at all and you can avoid having an awkward conversation altogether.” 

“I wish I had your optimism,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll do my best to just get through it, but I’m fully expecting tomorrow to be exactly like today, if not worse.” 

“You need to relax,” she replied. He sensed her change in tone and his body reacted with a light aching in the groin region. “You want some help to relieve your stress?” she purred. “Are you all alone?” 

Nik surveyed his current location. He was on a small private balcony, it was dark, and even if someone was on one of the other balconies they definitely couldn’t see him and probably couldn’t hear him enough to make out what he was saying if he kept it quiet. “I’m alone,” he spoke softly into the phone. “Tell me what you’re wearing,” he breathed, leaning back in his chair as he closed his eyes. 

“I could make up something really sexy, or be honest and tell you that I’m not wearing anything.” Nik groaned. He would always take her naked over anything else. “I’m laying in bed, with my legs spread open, wishing you were here so I could feel that beard on my skin.” 

“Touch yourself and tell me what it feels like,” he whispered as he stood briefly and held the phone against his shoulder to push down his pants. He sat back down and reached for his dick. 

“Mmm, oh,” she gasped, breathing heavily into the phone. Nik was certain he could get himself off just listening to her sigh and moan. He felt his shaft pulse and grow wider in the middle of his grip. “I’m so horny,” she moaned. “I’m already wet, I can feel it on my fingers and wish it was your cock inside me.” By the time she was done talking his shaft was standing straight up desperate to be right where she wanted it. 

They were getting pretty good at this sexy dialogue between them. It was always a little different, based on who initiated it, or who asked questions or where they wanted to take things. There was one night they both admitted their naughtiest fantasies and he was so turned on he’d made himself come twice in quick succession and felt like a teenager again. 

“Are you touching yourself too?” She asked. “Are you stroking your cock wishing you could fuck my pussy?” 

Nik couldn’t hold back the moan, and he prayed there was no one nearby on their balcony because it was loud. “Remember that time I fucked you in the ass?” he asked, his balls aching at the thought. “I want to do that again. I want to get some lube and rub it all over your anus and then slip my finger up there first.” 

“Mmm, yes,” she groaned. “I can feel it, I remember how turned on I was and that orgasm, fuck, that was mindblowing.” 

“I want you to shove your vibrator up your ass,” he demanded. “I want you to fuck yourself and imagine it’s me.” 

“Give me a second,” she said. He heard her rummaging around and then she proved she was fulfilling his request by holding the toy up to the phone so he could hear the buzz. “It’s not as big as you are, but it’ll do,” she teased. He squeezed his shaft and watched the veins pop until he finally released his grip and went back to light stroking. “It’s all lubed up and ready,” she said, making him tingle with a strange desire to have the damn thing up his own ass. He let his mind wander to the fantasy he’d shared with Gwen that involved a strap-on and restraints. He’d even shocked himself as he revealed his deep desires to her. He honestly didn’t even know if it was something he actually wanted to try or just enjoyed being turned on by the naughty vibe of it all. But he did know if he were ever going to let anyone fuck him in the ass with a strap on it would be her. 

“My fucking cock is so hard,” he moaned into the phone. “I’m going to pound you so deep,” he hissed. 

Sometimes they described what they were doing or what they wanted, and other times they would pretend they were actually together. Gwen was ready to shift over to a different perspective and transitioned easily. “Oh yes, you’re stretching me - you’re so big -” She moaned really loudly. “You feel so good, so deep up my ass.” 

“Mmm, yeah,” he sighed. “The lube is slippery but you’re so tight on my cock. Tight and warm. God I love how you take every fucking inch.” Nik had to check his volume and bring it down some, realizing he was getting louder as he got more into it and even more horny by the second. 

“I want you to keep fucking me in the ass and shove the vibrator up inside my pussy.” Nik was starting to feel dizzy with the intensity of his body’s reaction to her words. “Make me come, please,” she gasped. “Please,” she begged. He always felt guilty when they got to this point because he lost the ability to speak when his balls started to tighten up and he got close to the edge. “Oh yes, yes, just like that - you’re going to make me come,” she hissed. There was no faking that tone of voice. He knew she was just as close to orgasming as he was. “Oh God, oh fuck, oh yes, ohhhhh -” Gwen gasped and then there was a brief moment of silence. He could picture her face, so sexy and twisted with pleasure. 

Nik stroked himself faster, clenching his ass muscles, lifting slightly off the chair. He was so close - almost there - and finally. “Uhhh,” he grunted and watched cum shoot out the tip of his penis and land in a line down the middle of his shirt - and then a bit more ooze out the top and down the sides of his shaft towards his hand. “That was amazing,” he sighed into the phone, looking down at the mess he’d made. 

“It never gets old does it?” she said with a little laugh. 

“Never,” he agreed. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how badly I needed that.” The endorphins from his orgasm had really improved his mood and relieved so much of the stress he was feeling. He felt looser, more relaxed and tired. 

“Same,” she sighed. “Hey, I know I don’t say this enough, but I’m proud of you.” It was a strange shift in conversation and it caught him off guard. “For the award,” she explained after he sputtered a bit in confusion. “You deserve it and I’m really proud of you. You’re so talented and you’re an incredible teacher.” 

“Did you hit your head during that orgasm?” he teased. It was really out of character for her to be that sentimental. 

Gwen laughed and the sound warmed him from head to toe. “Just take it while you can get it okay Princess?” 

“Thank you,” he replied. “I guess I should probably try to get some sleep.” 

“One more thing before you go,” she stopped him. “I mean this with the utmost respect,” Gwen prefaced. “I don’t know what she’s planning to wear, but for the love of all things fashion - make sure your wife’s bra isn’t hanging out all day tomorrow.” Nik bit his cheek to keep from laughing. He didn’t often notice much about what others were wearing, but he had noticed that. Apparently he should have said something. “I’ll happily send along some double sided tape.” 

“I swear on my Dolce suit and your Gucci bag that the Coster Waldaus will keep the fashion gods happy tomorrow,” he joked. He could only hope as they said goodnight and he hung up that he wasn’t lying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy the conclusion of this one. I’m sure I missed lots of little things I could have included so I apologize for that. Thank you for reading ❤️

As he expected, nothing changed the next day - if anything his wife’s behavior was even more over the top, which he could have just suffered his way through if it hadn’t been for one thing. He noticed that girls were seeing how Nukaka was acting and they were embracing it - posting family photos in their Instastory and such. It was only going to make things harder when they told them about the divorce if they had it in mind that their parents were happy together and madly in love. 

After the award ceremony and a long evening of schmoozing and doing his best to seem every bit as grateful as he was - he was exhausted. Nik knew he had a bad habit of not expressing his gratitude in a way that was obvious to others so early in his career he’d often come off as ungrateful, when that wasn’t the case at all. So he made a point in situations like this to make sure everyone knew how honored he felt, but being that overtly emotional wore him out - which wasn’t a good mood to be in to start this conversation with Nukaka. 

Yet, it had to be done, right away. He barely let her set down her things before he started. “What are you doing?” he said with an irritated sigh. 

She turned and gave him a bewildered look. “Setting down my purse and phone -” Her voice trailed off. 

“I meant the way you’ve been acting these past couple of days. All the hand holding, the leaning against me, the flirting.” He didn’t even get into many of the more obvious sexual things she’d tried. 

Nukaka dropped her stuff on the dresser and turned fully towards him. “What are you talking about? I’ve just been reciprocating what you started.” 

“What I started?” Nik sputtered. “Me? Are you fucking insane?” He didn’t want to get this angry with her, but he was just too tired to reign himself in. 

“You’re actually serious? You have no idea?” She was staring at him like he was the one who had lost his mind. 

Nik sighed and rubbed his temples. He’d already taken pain killers on the way back to the room but they hadn’t touched the headache that was pounding away. “How about you give me some examples?” 

“Okay,” she muttered. “Well, there was that breakfast the other day. You got up early and made a romantic breakfast. You haven’t done that in years.” 

Nik blinked. Was she for real? “I made breakfast for the girls because they were both going away for a few days with friends - of course I was going to make something for you too.” 

He saw the hurt look on her face, but he couldn’t help it if she was misreading the situation. “Okay, when I tried on this dress a few weeks ago after I bought it for this trip you smiled and told me that I look beautiful.” 

He took a long deep breath. Clearly she was making more out of simple things than how they were intended. “You do look beautiful, but me saying that is just honesty - it doesn’t mean anything more than I think you look beautiful in that dress - the same as any other person who sees you in it would say.” She looked like he’d just slapped her in the face. “I’m so sorry, but you’re reading more into things than what’s really there.” 

“But you kissed my hand yesterday,” she whispered. He could see she was shaking and he would have went over and gave her a comforting hug, but this certainly wasn’t the time for that. 

“That was a mistake - that one is on me,” he admitted. “You were touching my leg and I wanted to get your hand off of me without upsetting you or causing a scene - I should have found a different way. I’m sorry.” She let out a little gasp that turned into a sob. “Nuk,” his voice softened even more. “I’m really sorry you thought things had changed, but they haven’t. I still want a divorce and after this trip we’re going to tell the girls the truth.” 

“And break their hearts,” she snapped. Her eyes were filled with tears, but there was anger flashing behind them too. 

“It’s going to hurt them, yes,” he agreed. “But we’re going to support them and love them as much as we always have and they will get through it.” 

“Can you please leave,” she said coldly. “I need to be alone for a while.” Nik closed his eyes and tried not to groan. His head hurt so badly and all he wanted to do was lay down and get some sleep. “It’ll give you a chance to call Joe again,” she added. “Or should I say Gwen.” His eyes snapped open and he knew he looked like a deer in the headlights. “What? You didn’t think I knew? You didn’t think I noticed that lovesick look on your face every time you told me you were texting ‘Joe.’” He was in shock. “I’m not a complete idiot. I know you’re not gay so it certainly wasn’t your good buddy Joe that was causing you to look at your phone with stars in your eyes.” For once he was at a complete loss for words. “There’s only one woman you look at that way - and it’s not me anymore.” 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. There was really nothing else to say. There was no sense in denying it. 

“Just leave. Go for a walk or something. Go do whatever it was you were doing on the balcony last night.” He felt his cheeks burn. Did she actually know what he’d been doing out there? Or just that he was out there? Fuck. “When you get back I’ll be sleeping. And tomorrow we’re going to get up and do everything we planned to do with the girls. We’re going to make this the best family trip they’ve been on because they deserve something good before we shatter their world into a million pieces.” 

He wanted to tell her she was being overly dramatic, but he wasn’t sure that was the case. He knew Filippa and Safina would be devastated. He also knew they were resilient and they would get past it, just like millions of other kids did. Nukaka had always seemed to think that their divorce was going to cause irreparable damage to their kids - but he realized that perhaps that had always been her way of trying to keep them together - just like her behavior on the trip was some last ditch effort at fixing things. 

“You’re an amazing mom,” Nik said softly. It was the one thing he could always say that was the absolute truth. “I’ll just get changed quickly and leave you alone for a bit.” 

On his way to the elevator he changed ‘Joe’ to ‘Gwen’ like it should be. There was no point in hiding it anymore, since he clearly hadn’t done a good job to begin with. When he got downstairs he really wasn’t sure what he was going to do to kill some time, but before he had a chance to decide he was approached about meeting some fans. He happily agreed and chatted with a couple of sweet young ladies, then took some photos. He always tried to be kind and respectful to his fans, even when he didn’t always understand their love and adoration for a person they really didn’t know. He was always especially patient with girls because he’d been to concerts and events with his own daughters and saw how happy and excited they were when they had the chance to meet their idols. He really didn’t see himself as anything special, but he tried to be empathetic to those who did. 

After the young women left he wandered over to the lounge area and found a booth at the back of the room. It wasn’t very busy which he appreciated. It was too early for the party crowd, but past the dinner rush. The server came and Nik ordered himself a drink. After it arrived he pulled out his phone and called Gwen. 

“Well I told her,” was his opening line. He talked quietly, but there was no one sitting anywhere near him and there was enough noise that it was unlikely anyone could eavesdrop anyway. 

“And how did that go?” she asked curiously. Nik explained the situation and how his wife had been picking up mixed signals that really weren’t there. “I know you didn’t intend for any of those things to be interpreted the way they were, but you have to know she was probably searching for signs or a sliver of hope.” 

“I know,” he grumbled. “But it just irritates me that she essentially blamed this whole ordeal on me when it was her that was reading into things that weren’t true.” 

“Well at least it’s over and you’ve cleared things up, right?” Gwen said, clearly trying to cheer him up. “Or do you think it’s going to be an issue for the rest of your trip?” 

“Oh definitely not,” he replied. “She knows how I feel and she told me before I left the room that the rest of this trip is all about the girls. So I’m going to take them swimming and hiking and snorkeling and go see Etna, we’re going to eat amazing food and try some of the local wines - and anything else the girls want.” 

“That sounds really lovely,” she said with a smile in her voice. But there was a wistfulness to her tone as well that seemed a little envious.

“I wish you were here,” Nik said as he leaned back in the plush booth. He wasn’t just saying it to make her feel better - he genuinely wished she was there with him. Taormina was so gorgeous and insanely romantic. While it was great fun with the girls of course, he knew he was missing out on that romantic aspect that many tourist couples went to Italy specifically for. 

Her tone changed to a more relaxed and soothing timbre. “We’ll have our moments together when the time is right.” 

Suddenly Nik remembered that there was something he’d wanted to tell her about since it happened. “So I may have said your name in an interview this morning, when I was actually talking about Brienne.” He smiled thinking about how her name came out of his mouth and he’d got momentarily flustered with himself for doing it. Gwen, Gwendoline, Brienne - whatever. 

“You didn’t?” she chuckled. “A lot of fans are going to love that.” 

Nik sighed. “Yeah, but those same fans might not like the rest of what I said - so maybe it’s a good thing I made that subconscious slip.” 

“Subconscious slip, huh?” she teased. 

“You know you’re always on my mind,” he whispered in a low husky tone. It was the honest to God truth. Everything he did he wished she was with him or he wanted to call and tell her about it. 

“Good,” Gwen replied saucily. Fuck how he longed to swallow up that word and feel her naughtly little tongue all over his body. “Hey Nik?” she added. 

“Hmm?” 

“Have fun okay? Let go of all the other crap going on in your head and just enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about me. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” Her words soothed his soul like balm on a wound and he took every bit of her advice to heart. The rest of the trip was amazing and it was one he wouldn’t soon forget. 

They talked on and off whenever he got a free moment but two days later, right before he was about to go to sleep he got a text from her. It was a photo of him shirtless in the ocean with a snorkel mask and then it said _#DILF. ___

__He chuckled softly to himself and sent a quick reply before he closed his eyes - _I think that can be arranged.__ _


End file.
